Xing Danwen- Urban Fictions (2004)

Drawing upon themes of ‘urban monotony’, artist Xing Danwen has produced a series of large scale photographs to question the seemingly idilyic urban landscape. 

Looking at her work I instantly want to draw comparisons to the technical processes of Thomas Demand, and artists working with image databases such as google maps, seen in the work of Mishka Henner and Jon Rafman. Danwen has reconstructed model landscapes from digital prints of her suroundings. This contradiction and juxtaposition of scale from down-sizing in photograph and model, to up-scaleing in the final photographic print- heightens a sense of unease and surreality to the body of work. 

Amongst the huge architecture, we see small scenes of ‘everyday life.’ Ranging from the mundane, like smoking a cigarette, riding a bike, to the not so everyday knife murder; these images prompt us to question our surroundings and our position within them.

The figures, modelesque in aesthetic, invite us to relate to them in their activities in some sense or another. (Although perhaps acting the murderer is a less empathic role for us to relate to.)

As a result, the work acts to represent the stifiling, constructed nature of the urban landscape. Placing us as figurines in a ‘concrete maze’ where ‘everyday life’ is part of a game we enact. 

To see more of Xing Danwens work, please see the following link: 

http://www.danwen.com/web/

James Reeves - Lightscapes for Dries Van Noten S/S11

http://www.jamesreeve.com/

Zander Olsen - Tree, Line 

http://www.zanderolsen.com/Tree_Line.html

© All images - Brandt M., 2010

Matthew Brandt continues his experimentation in photography with recent project - ‘Lakes and Reservoirs.’

The premise underwhich this project functions, acts to juxtapose the ‘real’ and what we see. Brandt has carefully controlled and created a unique method of production which has allowed the creation of a series of intriguing and engaging images.

We perhaps first notice the prominence of degredation within the images, which through the striking colours produced creates a certain level of aesthetic enticement. Looking further into the images we see the meticulous approach to composition Brandt has taken with each location. Beautiful lakes and mountain scapes fall in and out of frame in accordance to the classic rule of thirds, and other such ‘classic’ composition techniques.Nevertheless in the treatment of the C-Print afterwards, these images are quickly transported away from the typical glossy-calendar-scene image.

To create these effects, the photographer collected water from each lake or reservoir he photographed. Which was then used to soak the print for a given period of time - the effects of which we can see in the images above. It is the specific process that enhances a visual interaction between notions of representation and the real, the location itself and what we are shown. 

‘They are circumstances of a Lakes’ image that meets its real substance.’  M. Brandt 

- http://www.matthewbrandt.com